Moving OEM audio plus tweeters to sail

So when I first got my 2018 trd OR with basic audio, I couldn’t stand it. My previous stock 2012 Ford Escape sounded significantly better. One of the first mods I did was upgrade to OEM audio plus. However it sounds better and the subs nice it didn’t fix the issue where the acoustics of the tweeters is awful and it feels like there’s a dead spot where the sound doesn’t bounce to correctly. If I move my head a foot to the right the audio sounds perfect and then move in back to where I sit and it sounds like I’m missing a speaker.

I posted here and on Reddit asking if people had the similar issue and didn’t get really any responses and thought I was crazy. I was heavily disappointed I spent almost $2k and the acoustics ruined the audio however nice the speakers might be. I got use to it and just kinda lived with it, but I had taken a work truck (Dodge Ram) for a week and after coming back the acoustics is killing me again.

after research I found out people were solving this problem by putting the tweeters in the sail on the door. Everyone was saying the default tweeter location is awful and I realized I wasn’t the only person bothered by this.

well now to my question, has anyone done this with OEM audio plus tweeters? Should I do it with mine? Should I stick with them or should I upgrade? The posts I see are from a few years back and they mention there’s no after market sails or tweeter pods to put tweeters in, and you have to cut up your own. Well I was wondering are there now?

here’s the first post I saw mentioning it

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...he-3rd-gen-solved.666086/page-7#post-23647406

And another

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/anyone-put-tweeter-in-3rd-gen-sail-panel.483025/

 

Hey thats my post


Tweeter in the sail is super nice, but I also put a 2.5 inch midrange in the stock dash location too.

The issue you are describing is due to time alignment, when both speakers are playing the same, the one thats closer to you will sound louder. You need a DSP to correct the time alignment issues.

The oem plus system I think has a built in dsp for time alignment, so there may be a setting thats wrong on your amp.

 

wait so you run 2 sets of tweeters? Do you splice them together?


Hmm maybe I’ll email OEM audio plus, yeah what your describing drives me nuts. I didn’t mess with the amp settings at all, I don’t even know if you can for sure, probably best to email them and ask though.

however if I can run tweeters in the dash and in the sails that sounds great, I’m in my truck a lot and listen to music 100% of the time. So I don’t have any idea what a DSP is, so what’s a DSP lol. Do I need to resolve the dsp thing if I run sail and dash? If the DSP can’t be resolved in the amp can I buy something else to resolve it?

the audios great but the effect of my opposite speaker sounding quieter ruins it for me but if I could resolve it I’d be happy.

if I put a speaker in the dash with the DSP issue will I have the same problem?

 

My Pioneer has an adjustment for time alignment that can be set automatically after connecting a mic. I set it auto and then tweaked that a bit and it still sounds like the sound is coming from the floor. I suspect moving speakers to the sails would improve it but not sure.

 

No not 2 sets of tweeters, I run tweeters, midrange, and midbass. 3 way components for better sound.

If you wanted to run a DSP you would need to replace the amp your oem+ system came with.

Who installed the system? Do me a favor and use the fader on the radio to fade the sound all the way to one side, the OEM+ system has a built in DSP, so it should be time aligned already, but if the left and right are hooked up backwards then that would be why it sounds like it does.

 

I installed it myself. I can adjust it all the way left and right correctly no issues front and back as well.

 

ok, so that eliminates that as a possible issue. Let me do some research on the amp itself and see if the built in DSP is set up for time alignment.

 

Wow I seriously appreciate it! I’d be so thrilled if I could get my audio correct it’s my only complaint with the truck. I also emailed ome+ But with holidays and weekend I doubt I’ll hear back for a little while.

 

@destin_meeks you know anything about these systems?

 

Before I put this system in mine a year ago, I asked Dan from O+ specifically if the DSP was tuned w/time alignment. He said yes, and the sound stage is consistent with that. I've never seen any way for the end user to tweak the DSP (The DSP and amp are the same box). Should you buy an aftermarket head unit you can send the DSP/amp back to O+, and they will retune for that head unit for free since aftermarket head units don't EQ the crap out of the signal like the OEM one does.

You could also use a speaker polarity checker/app to make sure there isn't a speaker out of phase. While not common, they can be wired incorrectly from the factory.

 

I bought directly from OEM+. Is there an app you recommend? I truthfully don’t know much about audio. However the speakers sound good. If I’m in the driver seat the passenger sounds quiet if I’m in the passenger the driver sounds quiet. I did email OEM+ however, hopefully they get back to me.

so you’re saying on your OEM+ kit the sound is good? Equally loud both sides?

 

Mine is equally loud on both sides. O+ time aligns for the driver's seat so as you move your head from the 'sweet spot' the imaging will be off which may be perceived as the volume reduction you're noticing. If you know someone with an aftermarket head unit that does time alignment (doesn't matter the vehicle), you can have them change the listening position in the stereo while you're in the car, and you'll hear the difference/shift.

When I put an aftermarket head unit in my other vehicle that does time alignment, it took a bit to get used to the imaging since I'd never had that before. It's definitely noticeable.

Here's an app that does polarity checking.

$16 Actopus Speaker Phase Meter Polarity Tester PH Phasemeter for Auto Car Audio

You can also get a hardware checker for cheap on Amazon.

 

Not a clue, other than they’re pricey and don’t always achieve the desired results